Barbie Party

Good Monday morning!

I hope your weekend was everything you wanted it to be.

First things first... I don't want my blog to become "predictable," so you will notice that there are three pictures of a camel at the top of the posts today. There is no particular reason. I went to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago with my daughter and niece and nephew, and I love taking pictures of the animals. (Little fact about me... I love to visit botanical gardens (all kinds), zoos and/or aquariums and libraries. These are my three favorite places in the whole world other than home.) Anyway, I love taking pictures of camels. I've never taken a picture of a camel without it looking as if it were trying to say something to me. What does it want? Does it talk to everyone, or is it just me? Am I some kind of "camel whisperer?" Until I figure it out, I'm just going to keep on snappin'!

You'll notice a new Showcase Pic in the right-hand corner of me and Mikie, and pictures of our makeover at the mall. Of course, I couldn't resist an "I told you so" picture of what was once a beautiful fall tree. Heavy, heavy sigh! Winter, here we come. (Which, truthfully, winter is my second favorite season. It may have something to do with how much better I look in sweaters than bathing suits, but I also think it's because there's always that small glimmer of hope in Central Alabama that maybe, just maybe, we'll get a snow day... with power... and no ice... and get to stay in our pajamas ALL day long drinking hot chocolate. It rarely happens, but when it does it is truly something wonderful.)

Also, a new pic in the gallery is 15 year-old Josh behind the wheel. He is learning to drive. Our second driving teenager. Goosebumps all over me now as I see it in writing. (We may have to hire Roxie a limo and a driver when the time comes for her to learn. I'm too old for this!)

Monica and Roxie had a wonderful time getting their makeover at the Clinique Counter at Belks. It was free, and although they want you to buy something, you are not obligated to do so. (I did buy some eye make-up remover, and I may buy some of the skin care products for Roxie for Christmas, but you don't have to spend a lot of money that day.) The lady that did the makeover was very professional and did a good job on the girls. They looked very pretty, but the make-up was definitely age appropriate.

After a day of shopping with cousins, and watching a movie Saturday night with family (and Melia), we were ready for a "day of rest" on Sunday. Pastor Kevin preached an excellent sermon on marriage... very inspiring, so I really want to think on the things he said in his sermon. And then Mikie surprised us by taking us to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We NEVER do that, and I was beyond thrilled. (Well, we do it once or twice a year.) After church Sunday night, we finished off the wonderful weekend with the Faulkner Five watching Amazing Race. And now we're ready for the week ahead!

This week's activities are all over the place. A Barbie Party today (with Football Card Party and Hot Wheels Party variations for the guys); a very sweet (and easy) dessert which is the perfect "color" for the Thanksgiving festivities coming up; a Seasonal Tradition that takes place in the kitchen; a Family Date that stretches your taste buds (that means no chicken fingers or pizza); and a wonderful book for the holidays that are coming up. Lots and lots of food in this week's post, but nothing complicated... all very "doable." So let's get this week started!

Barbie Party

Ages 4 - 7

To give credit where credit is due, I think this party was originally my cousin Amy's idea. I said before, this does not have to be a birthday party. In fact, it works much better as a little girl get-together. First, call and invite five to seven little girls asking them to bring their favorite Barbie and a brand new outfit wrapped as a gift. Set a price limit on the outfit. NOTE: When we had this party, everyone brought a ballgown type outfit and one little girl brought a really cute casual outfit with accessories. It cost as much as the ballgowns, but the little girl who received the casual outfit could have been disappointed. (She wasn't, but it could have gone either way.) If I were to do this party again, I would set a price range and a dress code -- ballgowns.

In a large circle, set a Barbie paper plate with each little girl's name written on it. Behind the plate, have a gallon size zip-lock bag with the child's name written on it, also. All the girls are to go and sit on the plate with their name. Have one of the newer Barbie movies ready to go, and start playing it on the DVD. As long as the movie is playing, the girls continue to pass around the wrapped Barbie outfits. When the movie stops, whichever gift the girl is holding is now hers. (If for some reason, one of the little girls gets her own gift, play the movie again and again until everyone has a gift they did not bring.) It's like musical chairs.

When everyone has a gift, have them open them all at once. They will immediately begin undressing their doll and start redressing them with the new clothes. This is when you need the zip-lock bags. Have them put everything they take off their doll in the bag so it doesn't get lost or mixed up.

After all the dolls are dressed, retire to the dining room where you have set up a Barbie party. Plastic pink tablecloth, Barbie paper plates, Barbie (or pink) napkins, clear plastic cups (with two drops of red food coloring in the bottom) and pretty confetti all over the table.

The food for this party is super simple. Each child gets a mini-can of Sprite. When you pour it in their clear plastic cup, the red food coloring in the bottom turns it pink automatically. Serve yellow cake cupcakes with NO icing. On each plate there should be a plain cupcake, a Milo's plastic sauce cup filled with pink icing, and a Milo's plastic sauce cup half-way filled with pretty white and pink sprinkles. Every child gets to decorate their own cupcake. Have small bowls of bananas, grapes and sliced apples on the table, also. For something salty, you can have white cheddar Cheeze-Its. (I'm just trying to stay away from orange and pink. I know Cheese Puffs are the salty snack of choice in this age group, but the colors just don't match!)

After snack, have the girls go to a room in the house you have prepared for "Barbie Play." Roxie had the 1970s Living Room set, the Pet Store set, the Horse Stable set and the Beach set from the Barbie collection. She would get one for her birthday or Christmas. We had put each "set" in a specific corner of the room. When the girls walked in, they immediately went to the corner that interested them the most. It was interesting to see them split up nicely. They went back and forth and interacted at the different "stations." They may want to change their Barbie clothes back to the ones they wore, but most of mine played in the stables and pet store in the ballgowns. After about 20 to 30 minutes of play, you can either call it a day or go downstairs with every pillow you can find in the house and pile up on the floor to watch the newest (or the oldest) Barbie movie. It's up to you. It was a fun, easy party. Like I said, it flows better if it isn't a birthday party since everyone brings one gift and leaves with one gift. Now for variations to this theme!

Football Card Party

Ages 8 - 10

Everything is the same, except the guys bring a pack of football cards. The movie you play while they pass the packs around the circle is Facing the Giants or Remember the Titans. For boys who may not have started collecting football cards, you can also pass out one or two sleeves for the cards. These can be bought at Wal-Mart or a specialty store for 5 sheets for $1. They fit into a three ring binder, but if all the boys do not have a binder, the sleeves will protect their cards until they get them home.

This party's food is basically tailgaiting food... hotdogs, chips, cokes, pizza, etc. Also, after they open their cards, they can trade for a few minutes and then either watch the movie of choice or go outside and play flag football.

As with most boy parties, less is more. Instead of having five to seven boys, it would probably be better to have four or five. It only takes one who loses interest in the cards, food or movie to get the others going in a different direction.

Hot Wheels Party

Ages 3 - 5

Every boy brings a wrapped Hot Wheels car. Using the plates from the movie Cars with the boys' names on them, have them sit in a circle on their plate and pass the cars around while you have Rascal Flatts singing "Life is a Highway." Stop the music and let the boys open the cars they have in their hands.

The food for the party is simple... everything in miniature. Krystal hamburgers or Chick-Fil-A chicken mini biscuits, Bagel Bites, bags of mini Pringles, mini-canned Sprites or Cokes, and make tiny cupcakes using the mini-muffin pans.

Ask around and borrow so you can have more than one kind of Hot Wheels track available for them to play on with their cars. After about 20 or 30 minutes of play, they can get every pillow in the house (just like above) and settle in to watch the movie Cars. As with the Football Card party, four or five boys is a good number to have fun and keep their interest.

I've had the Barbie Party and the Football Card Party and both were pretty successful except I had eight boys at the Football Card Party, and as I pointed out above, several lost interest and tried to pull away from the trading and the movie. Always try to invite girls and boys who are interested in what you're doing. Little girls who don't play with Barbies will not have a good time at a Barbie Party. Little boys who don't like sports will not enjoy the Football Card Party. Little boys who aren't into Hot Wheels will quickly lose interest in that kind of party.

You can think of other themes, also. Both of my guys would have loved a Super Hero Party using the same ideas from above, but passing around action figures and then watching Spiderman or another action hero movie. Just pick what you know your child and their close friends enjoy, and you'll have a great time.

DISCLAIMER: It may sound as if I'm anti-boy because I don't usually have as many of them in the house for a party as I do the girls, but that isn't so. In actuality, I consider myself more of a "boy" mom. I'm just talking from experience, and whenever two or more boys are gathered, there is always the chance of heavy wrestling and severe foundational damage to furniture and your home. That's why I try to have a plan, a schedule and a workable number of guys. (I never like to have a party where I have to fuss at the guests... NEVER. I try to avoid it at all costs, and having smaller numbers with the guys helps me be a "non-fussy" mom.)

I know it's a super long post today, but you get three parties for the price of one. That's not too bad, is it?

If anyone reading these posts is trying any of the ideas, let me know how they are working for you. I'd love to hear the pros and cons. Or if you have an idea you could share, I'm all about listening and learning... and I will not take the credit for your idea!

Well, tomorrow it will be time for our very delicious, very easy, very orange dessert. (It is something you and your son or daughter could make together. Cooking together is always a good way to spend time with your child, boy or girl, and it's teaching them something as well.)

Also, I've added a new blog that I enjoy reading to my list. It's a cooking blog, and although I have just tried two of the recipes, she's very good about adding something new several times a week. She also actually "creates" her recipes. Being a huge copier, I really admire people who can create.

Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.